1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein pertains to astragals which are used with dual door installations such as patio or french doors and particularly pertains to astragals having an extruded major component.
2. Description of The Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Exterior patio and french doors have become increasingly popular with homeowners and builders in recent years causing a greater demand for weather resistant astragals which are positioned therebetween. Such astragals are positioned for example, to the fixed door to form a side jamb to allow the swingable door to close thereagainst. Other installations use an astragal joined to the head jamb and sill of the door frame between two swingable doors. Conventional astragals were originally constructed entirely of wood and in recent years the durability and maintenance free aspects of aluminum have caused an upsurge in the demand for the more durable, weatherproof aluminum astragals. U.S. Pat No. 4,644,696 illustrates a typical extruded astragal having two major components. Other double door constructions utilize extruded aluminum and wood combinations as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,287 where the extruded components protect the wood from weather exposure.
Astragals which are formed entirely of aluminum extrusions are durable but are difficult for carpenters and the like to install since door bolts and other fittings necessary for proper door operation must be precisely aligned. Door bolt openings can be factory aligned in the astragals, however if misalignment with the door is discovered at the job site carpenters are perplexed in making the necessary adjustments since the metal extrusions must be cut or shaped with special tools which many carpenters do not have. Also, extruded components cannot be easily patched and painted as can the wood components as is often necessary during construction and assembly. Astragals formed only of wood suffer from harsh weather and must be constantly painted and maintained for proper appearance.
Thus, with the problems and disadvantages of prior art astragals, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is provide an astragal utilizing the desired characteristics of both wooden and extruded aluminum components.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an astragal which can be easily assembled and installed at the job site without special tools or training.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an astragal having an aluminum extruded exterior portion and a wooden interior portion.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide an astragal which includes a pair of rearwardly extending walls of different lengths which form a U-shaped channel for securing the interior wooden member tightly therein.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an astragal which can be easily fitted with a door bolt at the job site using conventional carpenter's tools.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.